1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a glove box assembly for automobiles, and more particularly to a glove box assembly having an identifying member formed therein, by means of which a knob of the glove box assembly selectively mounted in the left or right side of an instrument panel of an automobile is easily assembled while being viewed with the naked eye of a worker.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, an automobile is provided at various areas with storage compartments for storing various kinds of articles.
Specifically, the automobile includes a trunk for storing relatively large articles, and a glove box assembly for storing relatively small articles.
If articles are too large or too long to be stored in the trunk of the automobile or in the interior of the automobile, an additional storage unit may be mounted to the roof of the automobile.
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a conventional glove box assembly 10 for automobiles. As shown in FIG. 1, the conventional glove box assembly 10 comprises: a housing 13 mounted in an instrument panel 2 disposed in front of a passenger seat (not shown) of the automobile; and a lid 11 attached to the front part of the housing 13.
The top of the housing 13 of the glove box assembly 10 is opened. At either side of the housing 13 adjacent to the lower end of the housing 13 is formed a hinge 12, by means of which the housing is mounted into the instrument panel 2 in such a manner that the housing 13 is inserted into or drawn out from the instrument panel 2 while being rotated about the hinge 12.
Also, the glove box assembly 10 is provided with a locking unit for selectively locking the glove box assembly 10 in the instrument panel 2.
The locking unit is fixed to the upper part of the lid 11 of the glove box assembly 10.
The locking unit comprises: a knob 14 rotatably fitted to the upper part of the lid 11 such that the knob 14 is pulled upward; a locker 16 attached to the inside of the knob 14 such that the locker 16 is moved in the same fashion as the knob 14; and a striker 4 fixed to the inside of the instrument panel 2 by means of bolts 6 such that the locker 16 is caught by the striker 4.
In the glove box assembly 10 constructed as described above, the housing 13 of the glove box assembly 10 remains inserted in the instrument panel 3 at normal times. When a passenger pulls the knob 14 upward to take out articles from the housing 13, the locker 16 attached to the inside of the knob 14 is separated from the striker 4 so that the housing 13 is rotated about the hinge 12. Consequently, the glove box assembly 10 is drawn out of the instrument panel 2.
The construction of the above-mentioned locking unit of the glove box assembly is disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-098818.
In the conventional glove box assembly, however, the shape of the knob varies, depending upon whether the glove box assembly is mounted on the left or right side of the instrument panel. As a result, the knob may be inappropriately assembled in the glove box, and thus the knob may be damaged.